As Autumn Falls
by sandhawk3000
Summary: Wirt and Greg find themselves back in the Unknown, this time on better terms than the last. Yet they find another person, seemingly of their world, and something feels a little bit off. Should they trust her, or is there something they don't know?
1. Chapter 1

_I know you'll return,_  
><em>To me and my arms<em>  
><em>And I know you'll transcend<em>  
><em>All my thoughts<em>

_I know you'll return,_  
><em>And if not in this life.<em>  
><em>I'll know you'll return<em>  
><em>In the next.<em>

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" shouted a voice as she watched two boys walk through the forest, her eyes following the tip of the tall one's bright-red hat. She jumped off the stump she was sitting on and walked over to where the two stood, leaning down to look at them.

She eyed them curiously, she couldn't remember seeing the likes of them around here, and she'd been her for quite some time.

"W-Wouldn't do what?" asked the boy in the pointed hat, his cheeks going red as he stepped back, hand tearing away from the apple he was just about to pick.

The younger boy seemed to be wearing a tea kettle on his head, but there were so many strange things here that it didn't cross her mind to ask why.

"I dunno." She said, her eyes flashing up to the sky as the sun disappeared behind a few clouds. "Just had a bad feeling about those apples, they looked pretty suspicious," she said with a grin.. Her gaze falling back onto them, wondering what she'd said to make him so nervous. She leaned down and made eye contact with the taller one, a wide grin on her face.

"Are you supposed to be a gnome or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow before she glanced down at the younger one. "And you…" she said, as she straightened up and spun on her heel, leaving her back to them. Her head tilted back so she could smile at the two of them.

"Maybe an elephant or something?" she asked, "I could tell by your trunk." She said, as she reached over and tapped the spout of his tea kettle.

"You're right!" he said, as he jumped up, "We left in these clothes…" he said, as he looked up at the girl, "And when we came back we were still in the same clothes." He said.

She turned around, a troubled look falling upon her face. She crouched down onto her knees, eye-level with the smaller boy.

"Just who are you two?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she bit down onto her lip. "Not that many people leave this place." She said, as she sat back onto the ground, suddenly looking up at them.

"W-Well, we really shouldn't be talking to strangers." Said the older boy, looking from side to side as if he was looking for a way to escape. She tilted her head to the side, pressing her lips together as she scrunched up her nose. Her eyes locked with his as she stuck out her tongue at him.

"I assume you're his brother, then?" she asked as she glanced away from him, dark green eyes on the sky.

"H-How did you know that?" he asked, as she stepped back a bit, reaching out and grabbing around the younger boy's arm.

She merely laughed, her head tilting back. Her red bangs fell out of her eyes, braid falling back from her shoulder. She stood up once more, and brushed the dirt from her knees. Her white, knee-length dress floating around her legs, bare feet pressing into the cool dirt of the forest.

"I know because you remind me of my big brother, not my little one." She said, as she looked up to the sky, the sun seemed to be dipping down faster than it had been moments ago.

He seemed to relax at this, his own eyes glancing up to the sky as the sun began to sink down. He shivered as if he was remembering something from a long time ago, though he seemed to shake it from his head. His eyes raised back up to hers.

"My name is Sayble." She said, as she turned walking away from them, the shadows seemed to dance through the trees. "Are you coming?" she asked, as she looked back, the shadows falling against her face, casting half of it in darkness. "The last time I was here it wasn't very safe to be out at night…" she said, her voice going quiet.

"My brother got rid of The Beast!" shouted out the little brother, as he ran over to her side. "My name is Greg, and that's my brother Wirt." He said, reaching up and clutching to the skirt of her dress, his hands leaving a small dirt stain where they touched.

"Well, is Wirt coming with us?" she asked, as she turning back to smile at him.

"Hold on!" he called over, as he cautiously held onto the other side of her dress, his hand leaving no stain, and clinging meekly. "Where are we going?" he asked, looking up at her, "Forgive me if I'm a bit cautious, I just just feel so lost in being back here...as if I'm spiraling through the air and floating up into nothingness." He stated, seeming to go off into his own little world.

"A poet joins the party!" she said, "You probably give us an intelligence burst and double as a mage." She said, as she pumped her fist into the air. She giggled softly, before she started walking again. "My cabin…"she said, "I was here for a while the last time I…visited." She said, as she smiled, the corners of her lips twitching hesitantly.

They walked in silence, save for the singing that came from Greg, and seemed to get louder and louder as they walked on. Her bare feet made almost no noise as they hit the ground, alluding rocks and branches as they walked out from the woods. Soon she could feel cool blades of dewy grass under her feet, and a small structure stood before then.

"Home sweet…" she paused, seeming to think for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowing. "…vacation home?" she asked, as she started for the door, opening it with a quiet creak as she stepped inside. She lit a lantern that stood on a table besides the door, before she led them inside.

"It's not much…" she said, her arm sweeping out to wave across the dimly illuminated room. The room was simple, containing a wooden table and a bed in the corner. A hearth rested in the corner, a pot laying in it, a kettle on the mantle. The last rays of daylight fell across the room from two small windows, casting shadows against the walls.

She closed the door behind them and drew the curtains, as if she feared what might be outside. Her mind snapped back to the beast as the two boys sat at her table. "Do you guys wanna tell me how it is you came to this place at all, The Unknown I mean…it's kind of um, unknown," her words coming out quickly as she laughed.

"This will take a bit of time then…" said Wirt, he glanced at Greg who was in the corner arranging her firewood into elaborate shapes, and decided he'd be the one telling their tale.

Sayble listened intently as they spoke, her eyes on him the entire time, only interrupting a few times to ask questions. She seemed intent to just close her eyes, tilting her head back as she listened. She put on a pot of tea for the three of them, making due with what she had, two measuring cups and a tin can.

"Wow…" she said, as she leaned back, "And you guys just go to the spot where you almost drowned and that's how you found your way back?" she asked, as she tilted her head back, her chair leaning back to the point of almost toppling over. She leaned forwards and the chair came forward abruptly, clacking to the floor.

"Just wow…and you got rid of The Beast." She said, her head shaking in disbelief, before she looked back at him.

"What about you Sayble?" he asked, "How'd you find this place?" he seemed more interested now, happy to talk since she was happy to listen.

"U-Uhm, well it's not really cool." She said hurriedly. Her hands clutched together under the table, knuckles going white as she glanced away, eyes averting his gaze. "I guess sometimes I just fall asleep and end up here…" she said, sipping at her tea and hoping the subject would be dropped.

Seeming bored with Wirt's retelling of what had just happened to them, Greg moved his cup from side to side, sloshing tea across the floor. He'd moved to the table during Wirt's story, leaving Sayble's floor littered with small branches. "What do you me-" He was abruptly cut off by his brother, who could sense the uneasiness that his question had caused.

"We should be going!" said Wirt, as he stood up from his chair, and tugged Greg towards the door. "It's great to meet somebody else to talk to about this, maybe I'll see you around…the not-Unknown?" he asked as he looked to her hopefully.

"Y-Yeah…maybe. Bye, hope you guys get home safely." She said, "Maybe we can meet up again here…if I happen to be around." She said, as he nodded, and they disappeared out the door with that same quiet creak.

She waited till their footsteps and voices disappeared, before she leaned forward, burying her head into her hands.

"Sleeping…" she said, as she sighed and smiled, coughing into her hand and laying her cheek against the tabletop. "I'm just taking a little nap."


	2. Chapter 2

_If we wander not separate_

_But together in heart_

_The path will become_

_More pristine_

_For the perilous plight_

_Of a cold lonely heart_

_Is to the wonder _

_And drown in the stream_

It wasn't long until the two brothers returned to the cabin they had found, perhaps it was curiosity. Or perhaps it was the fact that they'd been to The Unknown before and knew that not everything was as it seemed.

This girl did not seem as if she belonged here, yet she carried herself through the dark woods and the fields as if she had lived here forever.

"I like this place…" said Sayble, her voice quiet as she replied to Wirt's question, "Especially now that The Beast is gone…nobody here is really that bad." She said, though her voice sounded wary of her words, and she glanced away from him.

Wirt opened his mouth to speak, closing it slowly as he saw the look on her face. Eyes downcast and her mouth drawn in a taut line. Her hands clutched to the skirt of her white dress, wrinkling the fabric.

They both watched as Greg ran ahead a little bit, before they both realized how far ahead he'd gotten.

"Greg!" they both glanced at each other as their voices rang out at the same time, a snicker escaping from Sayble's lips. "Jinx! Now if you talk I can pinch you." She said, a triumphant look on her face as she stuck her tongue out at him and ran ahead to catch up with Greg.

Wirt's pace picked up a bit, but he seemed confused. This girl was so strange, one minute she could be happy, then sad and then joking around as if she'd never been sad. He shook his head, leaves crunching under his feet as he ran off after the two of them.

When they finally came to a clearing they found themselves in the clearing that housed Ms. Langtree's white and red schoolhouse, though soon it would be Mrs. Brown's schoolhouse.

"Blech." Grumbled Greg as he stuck his tongue out, making a thumbs down with his hand and shaking his head. "School is no fun, we should leave!" he said, as he reached up and tugged on Sayble's hand. Wirt opened his mouth to speak, cramming it shut as he remembered the thread of pinching. His cheeks flared red in frustration as he grumbled a noise under his breath.

"Aw, c'mon Greg school's not that bad." She said, smiling and reaching down to pick him up and place him on her shoulders. "I mean without school how would you get to see all your friends, and field trips are great…" she said, her words drifting from loud to quiet as that look came over her face again. She sighed, and walked towards the school house, Wirt trailing behind her.

As they reached the building, Greg jumped down from her shoulders and she spun around to look at him.

"I got enough school all week!" he said, as he turned and ran off towards a group of clothed animals, the only three that weren't in the schoolhouse. She laughed as he did this, and brushed her hair back from her shoulder. The braid undone today, red hair flowing freely against white fabric.

"I guess when I was that age I didn't want to go to school much either." She said, as she turned to Wirt, looking confused when he didn't move to respond. Tilting her head to the side and trying to read the look on his face as he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Oh! Wirt, Wirt, Wirt!" she said loudly, as her eyes burned red at her forgetfulness. "Sorry about that." She said, sticking her tongue out again, looking apologetic and sheepish.

"Don't worry about it, at least I didn't get pinched." He said, as he smiled. "Hey," he started, looking up at her. "Can I ask you a question?" he finished, beginning to walk towards the schoolhouse.

"Uh, yeah of course." She said, arms crossing against her chest as she spoke, biting against her lower lip.

"Why are you here?" he asked, "I mean, how did you find out abou-"she cut him off, a blank expression falling onto her face.

"I already told you, didn't I?" she snapped, frowning, looking away from him. Sounding defensive and like she didn't want to divulge any further, like she wanted to shut down.

"Hey." He said, reaching up and patting the shoulder of the slightly taller girl, "You can tell me your secret whenever you want." He said, "I've learned that sometimes keeping them bottled up or keeping them from someone isn't the best idea." He said, his mind flashing back to earlier conversations he'd had with one particular bluebird.

"No…" she said, though she quickly reached down and hugged him as she saw the look come over his face. He reached up arms awkward around her as she stood up and took the hat off his head, chuckling at his hat hear.

"Hey!" he said, as he reached up for it. Blushing as she smoothed out his hair and pat his head, "Wh-What was that for?" he asked, as he snatched his hat back and pulled it onto his head.

"For being a good person…and a good friend." She said, "I-If you want to be friends, that is." She said, her smile growing wider. She turned, her back to him as she looked at the schoolhouse. "And 'no' meant not now…not, not never." She said, "Allow me my secret, I need it right now." She said, stopping at the front of the schoolhouse.

They both jumped as the large bell above the school house tolled loudly, the sound lingering in the air after it had stopped.

"Young man, young lady just what are you doing dawdling around outside my schoolhouse?" asked Mrs. Langtree as she looked back to the open door. Her eyes lit up as she saw Wirt, "Oh my, if it isn't the sweet young man that saved this here schoolhouse and saved my broken heart from trepidation." She said, her voice much brighter and chipper than the last time Wirt had barged into her schoolhouse.

She glanced up at Sayble, and then down at her bare feet. "Now young lady it is not proper for someone your age to be gallivanting about without proper footware." She said, tutting her tongue in disapproval as she pushed her towards the door.

She spoke up as Wirt made a move to grab her arm, giving him a look that said it was alright. "Oh sorry Ms. Langtree won't happen again." She said, as she nodded her head towards the open window.

Wirt shook his head, heading towards the desk and glancing to the window. He looked nervous, the thought of getting caught doing something he wasn't supposed to in school still made him nervous.

Sayble waited until the teacher went off on another alphabet themed song, this one about how happy she was to finally be engaged to Jimmy Brown. She leaned in the windowsill as the teacher sang on, clothed animals glancing over to her for a second.

Sayble rested her chin in her hand as she smirked down at Wirt who still seemed a bit tense, "She won't bother us when she's like this." She said, "Is perfect schoolboy gnome, Wirt, nervous to break the rules?" she asked, as she giggled quietly. "Afraid the other gnomes will tease you?" she asked, teasing him.

His cheeks flushed a bright red as he stared ahead at the blackboard that read, _"Once the bell has rung, class has begun"_ in perfect cursive.

"Say, Wirt…how old are you, are you in high school yet?" she asked, dark green eyes studying his flushed face as she questioned him.

"U-Uh, yeah!" he said, "I'm a freshman." He said, wondering if this was really such an interesting conversation for her, considering where they were now.

"Ah, cool…I think I'm a senior." She said, as she glanced wistfully up at the sky, before looking back to him.

"You think you're a senior?" he asked, catching her face fall as he said this.

"N-No, I know I'm a senior. I don't know why I said that…" she said, rubbing against the side of her arm. "So you must be like what, fourteen or fifteen?" she rushed out as she tried to change the subject.

"Y-Yeah…well, fourteen actually." He said, "Fifteen on December seventh." He said, pushing the fact that he was nearly fifteen, not wanting her to think he was too young.

"Ah, I'm seventeen…turn eighteen like three days after you turn fifteen." She said, sticking her tongue out. "Guess that makes us birthday buddies, you should totally come visit me between our birthdays. Bring Greg to, we can celebrate and maybe make a cake or something." She said, grinning wide.

"Why don't we visit back home?" he asked, wondering if he was pushing her too far, wondering if this was too much. "Greg and I visit back here by stopping by the place where we almost drowned on Halloween…" he said, "That's how we figured out how to get back here, like maybe us coming back from The Unknown weakened the barriers between our world and here." He said, glancing up at her. "Considering that, then your house or wherever you are must at least be in the same town." He said, "Like a proximity thing." He said.

"Were you scared?" she asked, "Were you scared when you ended up back here?" she asked, her question rushing out. She realized she'd been raising her voice, and quieted down, wringing her hands together.

"W-Well…yeah, of course." He said, "When we met you we'd visited a few more times before that, but the first time we came back…I was terrified." He said, letting out a shaky sigh. "Terrified that we'd be stuck here forever, and that we'd never be able to see our family and friends again. Terrified that I'd never see Sara again." He said, "Terrified that I'd gotten into another accident." He said, clutching his fists.

"We went back to the graveyard to take a look around, we were curious, curious as to how we ever ended up here." He said, his voice quiet as he spoke. "And we noticed that some of the tombstones had the names of people we'd met here." He said, "I think…I think the Unknown is a place where people who died in town must go, or at least people who were buried in that graveyard. Maybe not everyone, but we don't know how big this place is…" he said, "It could be never-ending." His words spilled quickly from his lips, as if he couldn't stop.

"Greg and I must have come pretty close to dying…" he said, "And I think that's why we ended up coming here." He said.

"The dead and dying…" she said, her voice a whisper, as she stood up and straightened herself out.

"We checked for your name." he said, "When we went home that night, we checked the graveyard for your name, you seemed slightly different from most of the people here, but we checked…" he said.

Sayble felt the blood boiling up to her cheeks, ears burning eyes welling up with tears. "I'm not dead!" she shouted, "And I'm not dying…" she said, her voice trailing off into silence as she turned and ran. Ran straight past where Greg was playing with his animals, and into the woods. She ran until her feet hurt and bled from tearing up rough ground. She sat down in the dirt, white dress dusty and light brown in spots. Her arms clung her knees tightly to her chest, as silent sobs wracked her body. Seeming smaller and weaker.

She heard her name being shouted after her, and heard footsteps pounding after her. She refused to look up, flinching as she felt a hand reach down to touch her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said, not quite sure what he was apologizing for, though he felt as if he needed to.

"It's fine…" she whispered, her voice muffled by tears and her arms. She didn't look at him as she pushed herself off the ground.

"I'm still sorry, you didn't want to talk about it and I kept pushing." He said, stepping forward and hesitantly reaching out to hug around her. She glanced back at him, surprised by the sudden physical contact.

"Wh-What are you doing?" she asked, wriggling a bit, before she relaxed into his grasp.

"You said we were friends, and friends hug each other for comfort and stuff." He said, both of them separating as they heard Greg's footsteps rushing towards them. She reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Will you guys keep visiting me?" she asked, turning to glance back over at them once the tears had stopped and her face had stopped burning.

"Of course!" shouted Greg cheerily as he grinned up at her, oblivious to what had just occurred. Having been too taken with his game of Two Old Cat with the possum, raccoon and the deer.

"What he said, of course." Said Wirt as he grinned, "For alone we are not much but spirits gliding through the afterlife in search of reason, only to be drawn to the light of other searching souls." He said, waving as hand towards the sky as he spoke.

"Well good, I like having you two around." Said Sayble, "Wanna head back to my cabin for a bit?" she asked, "I can make some more tea of questionable origins." She said, as she looked to them, the last remnants of tears fading from her cheeks.

"We'd love to…" said Wirt, as he reached down and took Greg's arm, "Let's go."


End file.
